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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906153">The House</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovehugsandcandy/pseuds/lovehugsandcandy'>lovehugsandcandy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ride or Die (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 01:58:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovehugsandcandy/pseuds/lovehugsandcandy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The house always wins.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Colt Kaneko/Main Character (Ride or Die)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The House</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ellie pulled her coat around her, shivering in the ocean breeze as the last of the sun’s incandescent rays sank into the darkness lapping below. The view was gorgeous, sea blue stretched wide in front, stately mansion soaring into the sky behind, but she paced, chewing at a fingernail. <em>This is not how she wanted to spend her Winter Break.</em> She turned to watch the expensive cars slow in front of her, pulling to the curb, doors opening to deposit stiletto heels and old money onto immaculate cobblestones. Heavy footsteps made her turn, and she broke into a relieved grin.<b><br/></b></p>
<p>“Oh, thank God. Hi.”</p>
<p>“Hey Troublem- <em>Jesus Christ</em>. I can’t believe you’re wearing that dress.” She did not get an answering grin in return; instead, his eyes were troubled, shaking the hair from his eyes to shoot her a concerned glance.</p>
<p>She nervously ran her hand over the peach fabric, pale against her skin, and shrugged. “I didn’t exactly have much time to get to the mall! Mona called me less than an hour ago.” She had loved this dress when she got it, fabric clinging to her skin, intricate bodice fitting her like a glove; when the silk flowed over her curves in the dressing room, she immediately felt sexy. Now, looking down at herself, she felt sick. She had dry cleaned it, twice, but, if she leaned close, she still smelled a hint of smoke, caustic and dark.</p>
<p>“It’s just… I pulled you out of a vault in that dress.” Logan looked through her, and she couldn’t tell if he was seeing her or the past. “You almost died and I-”</p>
<p>“I know… I… just really had nothing else to wear.” She eyed the couples gliding past them, walking into the front door of the mansion clad in expensive fitted suits and sultry designer gowns. “We need to fit in.”</p>
<p>“If we find Colt, he’s gonna hate that dress, too.”</p>
<p>She breathed deep through her nose. Colt’s memories of that night were as bad as hers, fire and pain and death, but she hadn’t known what else to do. “If we find Colt, he better just be glad we’re keeping him out of jail.”</p>
<p>“Ok,” Logan drawled, uncertain, but offered his arm regardless, leading her up the marble steps and into the charity casino gala thrown by some millionaire couple in the Hills with more cash than sense. Ellie had known nothing about it until Mona called in a panic. She had been working a garage in Inglewood, sprung from jail thanks to her testimony against Jason. In exchange for her freedom, apparently, she had also been feeding the cops choice pieces of information, nothing particularly secret or serious, but that had all changed when they threatened her with new federal charges. </p>
<p>
  <em>“Mona, what do you mean they’re gonna arrest him?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The voice on the other end of the line was thready, panicked, and something shifted in Ellie’s gut. She had never heard Mona so distraught. “They already suspected he wanted the car but…I needed to give the cops something or they were gonna lock me up! Again!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Wait, so they are gonna spring a trap on him? At this event?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s some pissant charity casino night,” Mona scoffed. “It’s one of the very few times the 1968 Santagata Toro will be within reach of the public-he won’t be able to resist this.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“And now the cops know.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It was me or him, Ellie; I needed to say something. We have to warn him.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She rubbed her hand over her forehead. “Did you call him?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Phone’s off. I don’t even know if I have his latest number…  and you’re off at school now, outta this life but you guys were… you know…”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Um…” Ellie didn’t know. She didn’t know at all. She didn’t know what life she wanted, and she didn’t know what she and Colt were, but she absolutely hated the plea in Mona’s voice. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Can you please help?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Urgh. You… fine.” Ellie wasn’t sure she had his latest number either. They had kept in touch, sporadically, mostly when Colt had a new phone that he was sure wasn’t being tracked. Texting was too dicey as written records were far too easy to be tapped, but they would speak… occasionally: an update here, to tell her he was ok, a conversation there, some stretching late under the cover of darkness, memories making her blush if she thought about them too hard. “I will do… something.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And she had tried. She only had an hour before the event began so she had called him, frantically, multiple times, thumb aching with the force of her redials, but the phone had been off each time. Finally, she had made her mind up to go, to warn him in person, to play accomplice for one night. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And, to help, she had called the one person who would always be her backup.</em>
</p>
<p>“Does this mean you’re back in it?”</p>
<p>Ellis shook her head to clear the memory from her mind, Mona’s panicked voice fading as Logan’s concern edged in. “What? Back in what?”</p>
<p>“Well, you left for school. I thought you were leaving crew life behind for good.” He shifted on his feet. “Does this… does this mean you’re not?”</p>
<p>“I have no idea.” She thought she had left this world behind too, thought the library and campus center and lecture halls would be her second home. And perhaps it would have been for a past Ellie, a different Ellie. This Ellie-federal witness, car thief, accessory to murder-this Ellie was lost, constrained, unmoored, sitting next to peers who had never known the steel of a gun barrel against their head. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”</p>
<p>He studied her. “You’re too good for this, Ellie.”</p>
<p>“Yet here I am.” She was again toeing the line, suspended on a tightrope between two worlds and inches away from the abyss. “Shall we?”</p>
<p>Logan gave her a dashing grin, crossing the threshold under the watchful eye of a dark-suited bouncer. He also waited dutifully by her side as she left her coat with the bored staff manning the coat check booth, his tattooed hand sliding a ticket into her palm with nary a word. Once they had edged away from the entrance, they spilled into a lavish ballroom filled with waitresses lugging drink trays over stiff shoulders and a dance floor already packed with the amount of money that would definitely lure a crew in, especially a new crew and their hotshot leader with a chip on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“What’s the plan?”</p>
<p>Her eyes circled the room. She easily spotted the undercover officers, all tense posture and black suits, watchful eyes scanning the crowd. “Ok. We can’t let them see <em>you</em> so…” She bit her lip, plan forming. “I’ll go around the room, looking for a back exit. If things go bad, that’s where you’ll sneak out.”</p>
<p>“Ok, boss. Where do you want me?”</p>
<p>“Check out the casino floor downstairs, see if you can find him. Try to stay in the crowd, stay out of sight, and we’ll meet back here.”</p>
<p>He grinned, popping the lapels of his suit with a flourish. “Can I gamble a little while I’m down there? Take something from these people? They won’t notice…”</p>
<p>“Just stay away from the car.”</p>
<p>“But it’s a Santagata. Just a peek?” </p>
<p>“Logan! Stay out of trouble!”</p>
<p>“Oh, Troublemaker. If I wanted that, I would never pick up the phone when you call.”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes, watching the set of his shoulders as he headed down the back hallway before peering around the room. The dance floor covered the center, string quartet to the side playing something soft as older couples swayed; it seemed like a rich adult’s prom, all fancy dress and subdued laughter. Ellie tried not to think back to her prom; the recollection hurt without her date by her side. She tried to squash the memories, looking over the bar to the side of the room, next to appetizers laid out on gleaming silver and shining china.</p>
<p>Slowly, she edged around the walls, keeping her eyes peeled for black hair and a devil-may-care smirk. He wasn’t there (she could pick him out of a crowd with her eyes closed), but she found a side exit, door opening into an immaculate garden that provided a clear opening to the street. If they needed a fast escape, this would be the route. She had just turned back into the room when she gasped and had to dive behind a column; twenty feet in front of her, engaged in a whispered discussion with yet another undercover officer-<em> Jesus, how many of them were there?</em>- her father stood, hands on his waist. Peering out, she watched as the conversation got more and more heated, her father’s clipped hand gestures betraying his annoyance. <em>Crap</em>. She really couldn’t afford to be caught right now.</p>
<p>Reversing direction, she headed back through the crowd, carefully dodging tipsy couples and hair-sprayed grand dames, when a flawless head of hair grabbed her attention. Quickly, she tiptoed to Logan’s side, pulling him to the edges of the dance floor. “My dad is here,” she hissed.</p>
<p>“Fuck. That’s not good.” By the look on his face, he was thinking about arrest warrants, two of them, inked with his and Colt’s names.</p>
<p>“No kidding. Did you find Colt?”</p>
<p>“Not at all, but I won a hundred bucks at blackjack.”</p>
<p>“Great.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m glad that this is also a business opportunity for you.”</p>
<p>“Everything can be a business opportunity. What’s the plan now?”</p>
<p>“No idea.” She glanced around helplessly. “Wait until he shows?”</p>
<p>As she stood, clutching his arms and looking about, the room changed. She could sense it, rather than see it: the air was charged, a tension that hadn’t been there before, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight. In her periphery, she saw the undercovers perk up, speaking into their earpieces, eyes fixed behind her.</p>
<p>“He just walked in.” Logan touched her elbow, bending to whisper in her ear. “Your six o’clock.”</p>
<p>Ellie turned, heart sinking as she looked at the door. The entryway to the party was ornate, gold filigree around doors thrown wide open to allow refined guests to pass in and out with ease, but her attention was stolen by a boy in a jet-black suit, so dark that even the lights shining across the room seemed to disappear in his outfit. Her heart fell even further as she watched him, speaking intently to the woman dangling on his arm, and then crashed sadly to her feet as she took in the skin-tight gown and bright-red lipstick, her head inclined to take in every word as his palm cradled her hip. </p>
<p>“Ellie?” Logan’s hand tightened on her arm. “Ellie…”</p>
<p>She hazarded one last glance back at the pair and turned. “Every cop in the room has eyes on him right now. Let’s split up and wait until we spot an opening.” She ached, the touch of phantom fingers at her waist; she knew what it was like to have Colt’s hands on her, fingertips rough and possessive over every inch of skin. It burned to imagine those hands on someone else.</p>
<p>“Ok.” He still looked concerned but nodded.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna go grab a drink.”</p>
<p>“Ellie…” Logan gnawed at his lip for a second before wrapping her in a hug.</p>
<p>“I’m ok. Really,” she affirmed, but didn’t really believe it herself as she slunk towards the bar and sank into a stool. Of course, he was here with someone. “Can I get a glass of wine?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>She started, sitting up straighter to stare at the bartender, whose cynical eyes were staring right back at her. “What?”</p>
<p>“You’re 18 years old. Order something else.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me?!?” She straightened her spine.</p>
<p>“Whadda you want? A water?”</p>
<p>“Come on.” She cocked her head. “How did you know how old I am?”</p>
<p>“Listen, kid.” He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the bar to stare at her. “There’s very few people I’d risk serving underage, and you’re not one of them. Do you want something or not?”</p>
<p>She sighed. <em>Worst night ever</em>. “Fine. Shirley temple?”</p>
<p>“That’s better,” he chuckled as he turned to make her drink, the addition of extra cherries and a flowery garnish at least making her flash a grin at the presentation.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” she replied hollowly, fingers playing over the glass stem, elbow heavy on the bar, as she shot one last glance at the dance floor and swiveled in her seat. She vaguely registered someone sliding into the stool next to her and exchanging a nod with the bartender, but she didn’t pay attention until a deathly familiar voice spoke. “Didn’t take you for the gambling type.”</p>
<p>Her heart stopped as her head turned, heels on her fancy shoes clunking against the bar as she gaped. “Oh my god…”</p>
<p>“Do you wanna play a hand?”</p>
<p>“Colt!” She almost fell off the stool as she spun. “Colt, I need to tell you-“</p>
<p>“Nope, answer the question.”</p>
<p>She shook her head frantically. “No, you don’t understand, my dad-“</p>
<p>“Humor me, Ellie.” He was smirking at her, eyes gleaming under raised eyebrows as her heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>“But my dad-“</p>
<p>“It’s a gambling party, right?” He nodded his thanks as the bartender slid him a drink, taking a sip of the amber liquid; he then pushed it to the side to pull a deck of cards out of his jacket pocket, plucking three off the top to present to her. “So let’s play. Here are three queens. Follow the queen of clubs.”</p>
<p>“But-“</p>
<p>“Ellie.” He gave her a significant look, and she had the vague sense they were playing more than cards. “Trust me.”</p>
<p>“But….”</p>
<p>“Follow the queen of clubs,” he repeated. She nodded, slowly, still confused, and watched as he put the three cards face down on the bar, her card in the middle. “It’s less gambling, more magic, I guess.” With one last quirk of his eyebrows, he started moving the cards, shuffling them, hand over hand as Ellie kept her eyes on the bar top. “Do you know the real secret to all magic tricks?”</p>
<p>“No…” she uttered, wondering what trick he was playing. </p>
<p>His hands started moving faster. “Distraction. If you can focus someone’s attention on one hand, your other hand is free to run the trick, pick their pocket, whatever it is you need to do.”</p>
<p>“Are you planning on picking my pocket?”</p>
<p>“Sweetheart,” he rasped, low, and she had to shudder at the dark of his eyes, anger and lust and pain all swirling. “I recognize that dress. You wore that dress when-” His breath caught. “There’s no pocket in that.” His eyes flared. “You’re lucky I’m not ripping that dress off you right now.”</p>
<p>“That would be a little awkward.”</p>
<p>His eyes were still hard on hers. “Maybe it’d be worth it.”</p>
<p>She studied the cards again, abashed, as his hands flew, almost a blur on the bar in front of her, and then they slowed to a stop. </p>
<p>“Ok. Which one’s your card?” he asked.</p>
<p>Hesitantly, she tapped the card on the right. “Here?”</p>
<p>“Nope.” He flipped the card. Queen of spades. She furrowed her brow. <em>She had sworn…</em> Lips curved in a smirk, he flipped the center card, diamonds, and left card, hearts.</p>
<p>“Hey! Wait a minute!” She blinked. “Where’s the queen of clubs?”</p>
<p>“I told you,” he leaned closer, and she felt warm fingers sliding up her bare thigh. She couldn’t help but mirror him, moving into his space, desperate to give into the irresistible pull that drew her closer. “Magic.”</p>
<p>“You’re distracting me to try to feel me up?”</p>
<p>“Don’t tempt me.” The hand edged higher, under the silk of her dress, and she flushed. “I’d distract everyone in here to get you alone right now.” He leaned even closer, so close she tasted the whiskey in the air between them.</p>
<p>Her eyelids had just fluttered shut when her whisper eked out. “Where was the card, Colt?”</p>
<p>He chuckled, and his fingers flicked and turned, a fast movement right under the hem of her dress; her eyes opened just in time to see him presenting the queen of clubs to her, as if pulled from the ticklish skin of her thigh. “Magic, Ellie. It’s all magic.” She turned it over in her hands, looking for the trick, when Colt leaned over to brush a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Have a good night.” Without a backward glance, he slid from the stool and made his way back through the crowd, back straight in the fitted suit, nodding to a waiter as he strode past.</p>
<p>Her mind struggled to catch up as she threw the card in her purse and leapt off the stool, heels clacking against hardwood as she gave chase. He was moving fast, gliding through the crowd, cutting through a pair of wait staff as her feet struggled to keep up. She elbowed her way onto the dance floor behind him, putting on speed as he slowed to avoid twirling dancers.</p>
<p>“Colt, wait, I need to-” She grabbed his arm and pulled, forcing him to spin. “I need to-”</p>
<p>His face was playful, open, all laugh lines and quirked lips and mocking energy. “Ellie, it’s ok.”</p>
<p>“No, you-”</p>
<p>“Ellie.” He put his hands on her shoulders, edging her away from an elderly couple spinning in a slow waltz next to them. “It’s ok. Really.” He stepped closer, lips next to her ear, and his exhale ruffled her hair, sending a row of sparks down her neck. “Tell Mona it’s all good.”</p>
<p>“You-” She stepped back, eyes wide. “You knew.”</p>
<p>He nodded, a smile playing at his lips. “The whole time.”</p>
<p>“How?”</p>
<p>He shrugged, a sly smile blooming over his face. “Do you wanna dance?”</p>
<p>“Uh-”</p>
<p>“We are on a dance floor, Ellie. I’m not much for dancing, but I’d dance with you.” He opened his arms, and she folded into them, legs moving of their own accord.</p>
<p>“How did you know?”</p>
<p>“I’m not stupid, El.” His arm wrapped around her waist, fingers just tracing the small of her back. “Who else had eyes on the car and would call you in panic? And there are fifteen undercovers watching me and glaring daggers, especially your dad.”</p>
<p>“My dad can see us? Crap.” She tried to pull away, but he only held her closer.</p>
<p>“I would be ready for the tirade of the century as soon as you get off this dance floor.”</p>
<p>“<em>Crap</em>.” She tried to ignore the swoop in her stomach. “Aren’t you worried they’re gonna arrest you?”</p>
<p>“They don’t wanna make a move until they can catch me in the act. They want to get me stealing the car, red-handed.”</p>
<p>“What are you gonna do?”</p>
<p>He smirked. “Not let them catch me?”</p>
<p>“What? How are you going to get away? Just slip out?” He shrugged and lifted his arm to spin her. She stifled a chuckle as she turned, a princess with her knave, and fully noticed that, when she returned to his arms, he took it as an excuse to hold her even tighter. They were so close, pressed together, no space between the black of his suit and the glint of her dress, and she needed a second to steady her breathing before she spoke, “We could escape downstairs.”</p>
<p>“In the makeshift casino?” he scoffed.</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“It’s just three poker tables, one old lady dealing blackjack, and knockoff craps.” He shook his head. “Besides, I don’t gamble.”</p>
<p>“Huh. I guess I would have thought the rush, the risk? It seems right up your alley.”</p>
<p>“The house always wins, Ellie. I only gamble if I’m the house.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” It was very Colt to only play a game he knew he would win. She glanced around. “Where’s the girl?”</p>
<p>“What girl?”</p>
<p>“The girl you came with.”</p>
<p>“<em>Ah</em>. Max. She’s an… associate.” He frowned at her. “You of all people can’t exactly give me a hard time right now.”</p>
<p>Apparently she wasn’t as good as keeping the jealousy from her voice as she thought. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I saw you two as soon as I walked in. You and Logan.”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. “We’re here to get you outta here, idiot.”</p>
<p>“I don’t like how he looks at you.” His hand traced the strap of her dress, fingertips ducking between silk and skin as she trembled. “Especially not in this dress. Max had to stop me from charging over there to kick his ass.”</p>
<p>“Colt…”</p>
<p>“And I fucking hate this dress. You wore this…”</p>
<p>She looked past him, to where yet another dark suit was keeping his eyes on them, arms folded and back rigid against the wall. “I’m sorry… I just didn’t have time to hit the mall, not if I was gonna help you.”</p>
<p>“That night… that night should have been different.”</p>
<p>His eyes were haunted and Ellie couldn’t help but worry about the things he had seen since. She put her hand to his cheek. “Yeah,” she sighed. He blinked at her and his eyes trailed down her face, breath leaving her lungs. She watched his tongue peek out, tracing the plush lower lip, and she felt herself being pulled closer, as if gravity had rearranged and she was only on solid ground if they were touching.</p>
<p>“I wanna kiss you.” She could taste the liquor on his breath, smokey and rich, where their lips were mere centimeters apart. “But that would most definitely get me arrested.”</p>
<p>“Colt,” she whined as his fingertips traced the beading at her back, an unfortunate barrier of clothes between where his hips met hers. “Please. I want-“</p>
<p>“<em>Excuse me</em>.”</p>
<p>He glanced behind her. “Hey, Max.”</p>
<p>“Sorry to interrupt but you can’t exactly abandon me.” Ellie turned, and the girl was there, Max, in her gilded dress, eyebrow raised.</p>
<p>“Never.” Colt was speaking to his <em>associate</em>, but his eyes were back on Ellie. She flushed as he stepped back, hands clinging to her as long as they could, fingertips trailing across her back, her hips, until distance forced them to fall to his sides; she registered their absence immediately. “Did everything go ok?”</p>
<p>“Of course it did.” Max stepped closer, curious eyes assessing Colt, his dance partner. Ellie flushed.  “Hey, I know you. “</p>
<p>“Max,” Colt warned.</p>
<p>“What?” The girl shrugged before turning again to Ellie. “You’re in the picture that boss hides in his office. You guys went to prom together.” Ellie felt Colt’s eyes on her as her mouth opened and closed uselessly. “It’s a super cute shot.”</p>
<p>Colt’s voice was harsher this time. “Max!”</p>
<p>“What?!?” She shot Ellie one last, leering look. “Oh, fine, fine. Should we dance?”</p>
<p>“Fine.” He still hadn’t torn his eyes away, and Ellie shivered at the hunger in his eyes. “Your dad’s waiting for you.” He winked. “See you later, Ellie.”</p>
<p>With that, he vanished, spinning the girl through the crowd as Ellie tried to find oxygen. She looked uncertainly around. Under the cover of the crowd, elegant gowns billowing around her, she pulled out her phone and shot a quick text. <em>We’re good but my dad saw me. I’ll distract him. Get the hell out of here</em>. The vibrating in her purse didn’t earn as much as a glimpse as she strode forward; she spotted her dad’s scowling face in between bodies as she stepped closer.</p>
<p>Steps before she emerged from the crowd, a hesitant hand on her arm caught her. “Excuse me, miss?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>The cocktail waitress gave her a shy smile. “Your tag is showing.”</p>
<p>“Oh, thank you.” Ellie grasped around her back, hand clumsily clasping onto a piece of paper. But instead of tucking it in, she could pull it out, looking dumbfounded as she realized she was holding the queen of diamonds in her hands. “What the…” she murmured and quickly stuffed it into her purse. <em>How had he…?</em></p>
<p>She shook her head, trying to push Colt from her mind as she walked towards the door and the glower waiting for her.</p>
<p>“Eleanor.” The voice was tight, anger seeping through her name.</p>
<p>“Let me get my coat.” She barely spared her father a glance as she strode by, collecting her coat and shoving her arms in the sleeves as she tried to keep her head high. Right before she walked out the door, she turned, eyes sweeping over the dance floor to catch a lone figure sneaking out the side, flashing her a wave before disappearing into the garden. She relaxed, tension dissipating; at least Logan got out safely, one less thing to worry about. Squaring her shoulders, she followed her dad out the door and down the steps. </p>
<p>Once they had moved away from the doorway, far from prying eyes and spying ears, he whirled on her. “What the hell are you doing here?” He raked his hands through his hair; the lines on his face looked deeper than they had been just that morning around the breakfast table, chatting while she ate the Ellie Special and he drank coffee from the same mug he used since she was ten. She felt a flash of guilt.</p>
<p>“I just-”</p>
<p>“I thought we were done with this. You were at school! You’re doing well!”</p>
<p>Her head fell. “I know.”</p>
<p>“Are you involved in this again? The crew? The <em>gang</em>?” His tongue dripped venom off the last word.</p>
<p>“No, I just-”</p>
<p>“You just <em>what</em>, Ellie?”</p>
<p>“I just wanted…” she trailed off sadly, gazing out across the street. The sun had set, already far below the horizon, but the moonlight reflected sharply off the waves, a glittering shine that rivaled the facade behind them. “I just wanted to….” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. It hurt; she was still caught between two worlds and couldn’t fathom giving either up.</p>
<p>Her dad powered forward, crossing the distance between them before she fully processed it, grabbing her arms; she winced. “You need to stop this. We’ve worked so hard. You need to go back to school early, get out of LA.”</p>
<p>She stepped back, brushing him off. “What, dad? No!” She shoved her hands in her coat pockets, balling them into fists, but froze when her pinkie caught on something that she was sure hadn’t been there earlier. When he turned away, stress weighing down every muscle, she hazarded a glance down at the paper, already dreading what she would see. The queen of spades, the third card in the set. <em>How the hell…? </em></p>
<p>“I just don’t understand what you’re thinking!” He spun to face her, and she yanked her hands from her pockets. “Did you tell him we were investigating him?”</p>
<p>“He already figured it out,” she spat and immediately regretted it.</p>
<p>Her dad threw his hands in the air. “Are you kidding me? Ellie, you’re interfering with an active police investigation!”</p>
<p>A young uniform running up interrupted her retort. “Detective! Detective Wheeler!”</p>
<p>“What?” her dad snarled.</p>
<p>“The car…” the policeman stopped, huffing, hands dropping to his knees as he sucked in breath. “The car’s gone.”</p>
<p>“What?!?”</p>
<p>She couldn’t stop the gasp from her mouth but, luckily, the two officers of the law were far more interested in each other. “We don’t know how he did it! We had eyes on him all night; he never left the first floor.”</p>
<p>“Dammit.” There was movement, everywhere, all at once, uniforms and undercover agents closing in, a dizzying array of police cars with lights so bright and sirens so shrill that Ellie had to wince and step back. “Well, pick him up. Now! Book him on the warrant and bring him to the precinct for questioning.”</p>
<p>“He’s…” the cop’s face fell and Ellie had to dig her thumb into the card in her pocket, the paper cut enough to ensure she stayed mute. “He’s gone.”</p>
<p>She tried to hide the smile from her face; based on the cutting glare from her dad, she didn’t succeed.</p>
<p>“How is he… Damn it!” She was glad her father had nothing in his hands; it would have gone smashing into the ground.</p>
<p>“We picked this up at the scene.” The cop held up a plastic evidence bag, and Ellie had to bite her lip to keep the noise inside her cheeks.</p>
<p>“What the…” her dad snatched the bag, turning it over in his hands. “Why would he leave a queen of hearts there?”</p>
<p>“A calling card?”</p>
<p>“Dust it for prints.”</p>
<p>“Will do,” he affirmed and turned to go before her dad caught his arm.</p>
<p>“You’re sure he never entered the garage?”</p>
<p>The answering nod was frantic, sure. “We had eyes on him the minute he stepped in the door, sir. The only people who went down there were people restocking the bar. We would have known if he went anywhere.”</p>
<p>“Damn it.” Her dad’s eyes flashed to hers. “Ellie, go wait in my car. You’re coming to the station for questioning.” Her eyes fell, and she nodded, shoving her hands back in her pockets, finger tracing the edges of the queen. She shot one last look out at the ocean and could almost imagine two figures leaping off into the water below, a chasm separating the two parts of her life, the two Ellies warring over her future.</p>
<p>And as she slid into the back seat of the cruiser, red and blue lights flashing into the sky, she had no idea what life she would choose.</p>
<p>~~~~~</p>
<p>Her feet were spent as she unlocked the door. Her dad dragged out her time at the station, first letting her sweat by parking her at his desk, the solitary orderly station amidst desks overflowing with coffee cups and old takeaway; she spent the interminable time waiting and worrying and trying, and failing, to stay out of trouble. Then it got worse, every minute turning into hours as she gave a documented statement on the entire evening; she had been as truthful as possible while evading some pointed questions about her phone call with Mona, her conversation with Colt, breathing nothing about Logan’s presence. It was nerve-wracking, but she thought she had succeeded, fingering the rustling plastic in her pocket the entire time, nervous hands tracing the seam as she answered questions about Colt’s whereabouts and Colt’s plan and Colt Colt <em>Colt </em>until her throat was dry and her father relented, finally freeing her to call a ride and return home to sleep.</p>
<p>Wanting only to kick off her heels and fall into bed, she flicked the light switch in her room and screamed.</p>
<p>“Good thing your dad wasn’t home. He definitely woulda shot me.”</p>
<p>Her heart rate slowly returned to normal as she looked Colt over, insouciantly perched on her bed, smug smile above a loosened tie, jacket strewn next to him to reveal taut forearms below rolled-up shirtsleeves. “What are you… how did you get in?”</p>
<p>“Come on, Ellie. Do you really think that little of me?”</p>
<p>“Mostly.”</p>
<p>He smirked and leaned backwards, palms on her blanket as if he belonged there, fully at home atop her bed sheets. Ellie flushed and had to shake her head to stop the haze encroaching on the edges of her mind. “They interrogated me for hours ‘cuz of you.” She shrugged out of her coat, dropping it on her chair, hovering; it seemed too awkward to sit in by her desk, too intimate to sit next to him on a horizontal surface.</p>
<p>“What did you say?”</p>
<p>“The truth. Mostly.”</p>
<p>“I bet your dad loved that.”</p>
<p>“What are you doing here?” She was off-balance, and sliding out of her shoes didn’t help. “You stole the car, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>He shrugged, eyes shining with unholy light as he studied her. “Why?”</p>
<p>“Because, if you did, then you owe me one.”</p>
<p>“Ha. You think I wouldn’t have figured out that the cops were there without you?”</p>
<p>She shook her head and leaned over to rustle around in her jacket pocket, watching Colt’s interest increase, eyeing her intently as she pulled out a clear plastic bag. Tossing it at him, she said, “Because I lifted that from the precinct.”</p>
<p>“The card?” ‘Evidence’ was printed in bold red across the top and, inside, the fourth queen of Colt’s deck. “Holy shit, you…”</p>
<p>“It was hanging off a rookie’s desk. An easy grab.”</p>
<p>“And you don’t think they will pin this on you?”</p>
<p>“You didn’t see the mess on this desk.” She leaned against her desk, studying the way awe flashed over his features as he gazed at her. “It was a disaster. He’s gonna think he threw it out in a bag of donuts.”</p>
<p>“Holy hell.”</p>
<p>“What? I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”</p>
<p>The bag fluttered to the floor as Colt stood, crossing the room in two steps, the muttered “I always knew you were too bad for this life” the last thing she heard before his lips were on hers, frantic, needy, fingers flying to her hair to pull her closer, as if completely claiming the physical space she occupied was the only way to atone for thousands of miles and millions of seconds apart, all wasted. She moaned, losing her composure, sense of time, herself, leaning against the desk as his hands moved down to her hips, fingers wrinkling silk to press into the skin underneath. </p>
<p>He kissed her the way he loved her, desperate, possessive, hands tracing her body as if to hold her there, forever, captured in his arms as if he was deathly afraid that someone (Some entity? Some being? The God of Death himself?) would come steal her away in the same way Colt lost everyone he cared about, everyone that mattered. He kissed her like he would fight through the gates of hell for her, a battle he had waged and lost so many times, times that Ellie knew about and times she didn’t, but fights that had left their wounds and their marks and their nightmares and Colt would still battle through them all again for her.</p>
<p>He kissed her and kissed her and Ellie wanted nothing more than to fight the battle alongside him, to choose this life, every time.</p>
<p>“Colt?”</p>
<p>“Mmh?” His lips had drifted down her neck, were mapping a trail down her collarbone as she clung to him, unable to remain upright without the additional support of taut muscles.</p>
<p>She didn’t want to be upright anymore. “Bed. Please, bed.”</p>
<p>The room was spinning before she blinked. She was weightless, the cotton of his dress shirt bunched between her fingers, firm hands under her thighs, her stomach leaping as she was suddenly airborne before landing with a bounce on her mattress. He immediately followed, sliding between her thighs to lay claim to every inch of skin available, lips and teeth and fingertips tracing dizzying paths; brain spinning; she couldn’t even follow, could only clutch at him, at the sheets, anything to keep her grounded and sane.</p>
<p>His teeth had just traced the edges of her collarbone, teeth imprinting marks over skin that she hoped would never fade, when he sat up, eyes burning as they examined her.</p>
<p>“I hate that dress.” He bunched the bodice in his hands and she saw the rage and desire mixing in an enormous storm: the pain, the past all bubbling up in the tears collecting like dew in his lashes. His fingers tightened and her lungs wouldn’t inhale; in the silence, a thread popped between his fingers.</p>
<p>She stared at him, his knuckles hot against her chest, and nodded. “Do it.”</p>
<p>He didn’t hesitate. The first rip was loud in the silent room, fabric tearing between his fingers, and he did it again, tearing the dress to her waist. The threads tore, each one a soft snap in the silent room, beads spilling like rain, falling to the floor and rolling away, under bed and chairs and desk, in every dark corner of the room, taking the last vestiges of her good sense with them.  She shivered as the cool air hit her skin and he continued; with one last huff, he cleaved the dress, and she lay in peach shards. </p>
<p>“You looked good in it.” His eyes softened, somewhat, as if destroying the garment meant killing a piece of their shared past. “But you look incredible now.”</p>
<p>“Buy me a new one.”</p>
<p>“Fuck,” he rasped as his eyes roved down her body. “I’ll buy you seven.”</p>
<p>She flushed; her breasts were exposed, peaked towards him, and she was only wearing a tiny thong, far too flimsy to protect her from his heated gaze. But nothing had ever protected her from the fire in his eyes, the way it burned and smoldered and engulfed her, and it couldn’t protect her now as he ducked to catch her lips.</p>
<p>Her fingers wouldn’t work, body struck dumb by the onslaught, and Colt had to peel off his own clothes, buttons flying off his shirt, her thong ripping in haste, everything tossed to the carpet. He couldn’t move fast enough for the pleas falling off her lips, desperate and heady, caring only that they were as close as humanly possible, desperate for his bare skin to be underneath her fingertips, between her thighs. </p>
<p>She arched her back off the bed as he shifted. She would have been embarrassed, should have been embarrassed, betrayed by her body’s desperation to be closer, but only muttered an unintentional curse through gritted teeth as the first delicious stretch finally made her nerves sing. </p>
<p>“I missed you.”</p>
<p>“You fucking-<em>Fuuuuck</em>,” his voice choked out, “you fucking missed me enough to steal police evidence for me?”</p>
<p>“You better show me how much you appreciate it, then.”</p>
<p>He stopped, breathless, when he was fully inside her. “Understood.” Then, he moved, her body opening for him as if he had never left, as if it hadn’t been months since he had seen her, as if the distance and time meant nothing because her body was destined to be twined with his. Her toes curled; the room shook.</p>
<p>Her fingers grasped at the pink sheets underneath her. These worn cotton sheets had seen her through her childhood, hours of studying and dreaming and hoping for a spot at Langston, constantly planning for a future she was desperate for. Those sheets were under her now, joined by the shards of her peach dress, while a different future was on top of her, moving fast and perfect as tears leaked from her eyes and sparks flew up her spine.</p>
<p>“Colt…” She wrapped frantic hands around his shoulders, nails digging into the muscles in his back, smooth skin underneath her fingertips both familiar and new. She gripped tighter. “Colt, <em>ohmygod</em>, Colt, please.”</p>
<p>He was fluid motion, hand sliding down so his fingers could spin magic around her clit, hips never stopping in their insistent push to hit every single spot inside her that made her arms shake and her heart race. “I fucking love how you moan my name,” he hissed into her ear, following it up by digging his teeth into her earlobe.</p>
<p>She responded with a guttural moan, losing control of her voice, her body, her mind, as her toes curled and legs flailed, pulling him flush against her, slick skin warm where it pressed into her chest. Her arms tensed, holding on with all she had, fingers starting to cramp with the force she exerted against his biceps. If he noticed, he didn’t breathe a word, fucking her through her pleasure and then beyond to a moment in time where she was weightless, free of anything and everything but this boy and this feeling and this bed. His thumb kept moving and her fingers tightened further, nails digging into his skin as he brought her almost to the point of too sensitive, too much, all too much, but then the pleasure started again as her body quaked, cock driving into her just so that her second peak came faster, rocketing through her limbs as she writhed through another orgasm.</p>
<p>As he sank into her one last time, her name fell from his lips, hitched moan vibrating through his lungs and into hers; she could only mutter his in response, kissing his neck, his ear, every available patch of skin she could reach as he collapsed next to her.</p>
<p>Curled into his side, she had just relaxed, muscles that she hadn’t realized she had easing into the buzz of bliss, when he stirred next to her, fingers dancing up the swell of her breast to trace her cheek.</p>
<p>“Was that enough appreciation?” </p>
<p>“Mmmmhmmm….” She couldn’t do anything more than nod, boneless against him.</p>
<p>He pulled at a curl that their previous activities had dislodged, sighing before regretfully murmuring, “I have to go.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“I’ve already had enough run-ins with your dad tonight. At some point, my luck is gonna run out.”</p>
<p>She sat up, pooling the wrinkled sheets around her as she watched him throw on clothes, shirt wrinkled, hair mussed, debauchery come alive in her bedroom. “Yeah…” His suit jacket was stuffed somewhere in her sheets, kicked away amid frantic movement, and he shook the wrinkles out. “I’m coming with you.”</p>
<p>He froze, fingers pausing as they inspected a rip where a button used to lie. Slowly, his lips quirked until he was full on grinning, self-satisfied smirk pinning her where she sat. “I told you you were too good for this life.”</p>
<p>“I already stole from a police station. I think I’m a little in over my head now.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ve ever been more satisfied than I am at this moment.”</p>
<p>She pushed the scraps of her dress off the bed, kicking them into darkness, and threw on clothes as fast as her hands would go. “Come on. We should go before he gets back. He’s on a mission to arrest you.” She grabbed the illicit evidence bag. Her dad would surely think it was proof that she had descended into a life of transgressions and crime. But maybe it was the opposite; maybe she has risen, reborn, into a freedom she had always wanted but been too afraid to grasp until a boy with a motorcycle called her sweetheart.</p>
<p>“Well, I’m on a mission to not get arrested.” He smirked and pulled his suit jacket around her shoulders, helping her slide her arms in until she was draped in the black fabric. “There.” The satisfaction in his eyes made her shiver, as if seeing her in his clothes eased something that came unsettled while she was in her own dress, now in a torn pile under her bed.</p>
<p>“Let’s go.”</p>
<p>The moon was still out, illuminating their way as they left her house behind and made their way down the sidewalk. The street was silent and still, eerie; the rest of the world was still asleep, safe and snug in beds protected from all the dangers she had seen, would see. Her mom used to say that nothing good happened after midnight. As she side-eyed the boy walking beside her, their hands brushing every step, she thought that perhaps her mom was wrong.</p>
<p>“Do you have a helmet?” she asked.</p>
<p>“I drove, actually. A car.”</p>
<p>“What? You?!?”</p>
<p>He shrugged, eyes warm. “I do occasionally get behind the wheel. I just don’t like it.” He gestured down a side street, a safe distance from her house. “It’s over here.”</p>
<p>She turned the corner and blinked, her feet stuttering against the concrete. “Oh my God.” She spied the sharp lines, the trim, the detailing on the bumper that betrayed the signature Santagata body work; her legs kept going, pulled as if magnetized to the way the paint gleamed against the streetlights. “How did you-?”</p>
<p>“How did I what?” He stopped a few feet away, pulling keys from his pockets, watching her trace the hood with reverent fingers.</p>
<p>“You <em>did </em>steal the car. But…how?”</p>
<p>He shrugged, tossing the keys from one hand to another. “How would you have done it?”</p>
<p>“Well…” Her mind raced, recalling the entire night, even the details that seemed so innocuous in retrospect. “Wait… you were the distraction.” He grinned wider as she continued, metal smooth under her fingers, “You distracted the cops, making them think you were gonna take the car.”</p>
<p>“You’re on the right track. How did we do it?”</p>
<p>“I don’t-”</p>
<p>“Come on, Ellie. You know I wouldn’t gamble unless I knew I would win.”</p>
<p>She blinked, pieces clicking into place. “Oh my God, it was an inside job. You knew what was on the casino floor, even though you never went down there. The bartender got you a drink, even though you never said a word. The staff!” He was positively beaming, teeth blinding in the darkness. “The staff all worked for you!”</p>
<p>“Well, not all of them, but enough.”</p>
<p>“You distracted the cops while your team got the car out.”</p>
<p>“It was simple.” He winced, reconsidering his words. “Well, not exactly simple. Max almost got caught passing the keys to the bartender, and those idiots almost backed into a fire hydrant getting down an alley, but it worked. Wanna drive it?”</p>
<p>“What.”</p>
<p>“It already has a new license and a new VIN. As far as anyone can tell, this is legal.”</p>
<p>Her fingers twitched as she looked over the white trim gleaming underneath the streetlight. It had been far too long since she had been behind the wheel of something like this. </p>
<p>Maybe she wasn’t as torn between the two worlds as she thought.</p>
<p>“Well? Aren’t you my driver?”</p>
<p>She snatched the keys from his hands, two beeps echoing as she unlocked the doors. “Forever.”</p>
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